A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric component, and more particularly to a miniature pin-mount connector for light emitting diodes used in electric signage or other displays.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Small light bulb arrays with supporting sockets are previously identified in the art, as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 2,265,360 to F. M. Dessart and U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,620 to E. V. Sundt. Their primary uses are for Christmas ornaments that connect multiple small bulbs in parallel to a pair of electric wires by their respective terminal structures or sockets. The wires are enclosed either permanently in the sockets' manufacture, yielding a molded structure, or semi-permanent structure. Both methods generally require heat energy in setting the sockets to hold the electric wires in place.
These and other prior art sockets are designed for holding separate bulbs at a distance from each other. The introduction of the semiconductor and subsequent development of light emitting diodes (LEDs) have made this the preferred light source in many areas that desire simple and economical display lighting. LEDs are commonly used for illuminating signs, traffic signals, automobile taillights and display lights. One such application is electric signage, wherein a designed array of LEDs are safely energized by a 12-volt DC source to display characters and/or shapes recognizable from distant locations. A single LED is comprised of a small transparent solid lamp with two leads extending outwardly.
Wiring of the LEDs to the power source can be facilitated by utilizing connectors or sockets, one of which is suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,463 to Savage, Jr. In this patent, LED is housed with a pair of electric wires between two clamping elements. Metal terminals are also provided to automatically make electrical connections between the electric wire cores and the LED leads. When the clamping elements of the terminal are closed toward each other and a latching mechanism locks them in position, an electrical connection is created. This prior art connector may be suitable for a single dot of light, however it does not provide for a LED array wherein numerous dots of LEDs are packed tightly into plain layout areas. Such design is necessary to create the continuous lines of letters or shapes in electric signs, as well as many other modern LED devices.
A problem lies within conventional LED connectors when they are applied to electric signage. They are unable to array the LEDs in necessary lateral proximity because conventional LED connectors' inherently large latitudinal space keeps the LEDs from adjoining each other. Additionally, conventional connectors are quite expensive compared to the cost of LEDs themselves, which have been steadily decreasing in price with the improvement of manufacturing.
A new, lower cost microstructure of LED connector is therefore needed for universal applications in single to large volumes, including electric signage.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a miniature LED connector with a latitudinal cross section area no larger than the LED itself.
An additional objective is to provide an LED connector that can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of the LED.
The final objective of the present invention is to provide an LED connector that ensures high security electrical connection, while still allowing instant uninstallation without the additional aid of special tools or heat energy.